Upon receiving my transfer, I bought a power saw machine because of the rising business opportunity in the village. Though a mode of transport has been a hindrance to its efficiency. Therefore, I plan to save up money from my daily hustler to purchase a motorbike which will ease the movement from one place to another.

The support from GiveDirectly empowered everyone in our community, regardless of our financial and social status. We were all treated equally and with respect, and the staff conducted the entire process with a high level of professionalism. The organization is well established, thus I did not identify areas that needed to be improved.

When GiveDirectly promised us unconditional transfers, most of the people opted to build houses with their money. On the other hand, I saw it as a business opportunity to purchase a power saw(chainsaw) because people needed its services and only a few people had it. I had saved $400 from my initial transfer, thus upon receiving my second transfer, I topped up a sum of $400 to make it $800, and thereafter I procured the machine. Indeed, it is a dream come true because I never thought that I would be able to achieve all that in a short period, bearing in mind my financial status. I am married and blessed with three children and I depend on my butchery business to earn a livelihood. Knowing that I would be having an extra source of income gives me satisfaction, thus I am grateful for the financial support that boosted our living status.

It was around 5 PM I was just at home bonding with my family after a very tedious day at work. Immediately I heard a message notification from my phone. When I checked it out I could not believe my eyes, it was a message confirming that I have received some money from GiveDirectly. I felt so happy and informed my family members and we all celebrated the good news. I have never received such an amount of money before. I stayed for a few days and went to withdraw the money. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has improved our living standards.

Purchasing a power saw machine and venturing into business is the biggest difference in my daily life. I had always wished to start a business but it was so hard because there was no capital. I depend on small-scale farming and I run a small butchery business in town. This was giving me a small income and I was not able to save much. I could spend the money on household basic needs. When I received the transfer I felt so happy and I knew I would be able to invest in the business. I saw an opportunity in the building industry people wanted some timber to build. I decided to purchase the power saw machine. I cut the timber at affordable rates and I have been able to get many jobs in the village. On a normal day, I get a profit of KES 3,000. I can meet the household basic needs pay my workers and save the balance. I am so happy because I have gotten an income-generating activity. I wish to improve this and make it the best. I will continue to save so that I can buy another machine.

I spent all the transfer on purchasing a power saw machine. The machine cost was KES 77,000 I had some savings and I topped it up to acquire the machine and start a business. I had always wished to start a business but I did not have enough money. What made me invest in this kind of business is that I saw an opportunity since most of the people were building houses. They needed some timber and other materials. Currently, I get some daily income since I cut the timber for them and earn some money. On a good day, I can pocket a profit of KES 3,000. I am so happy because this earns me some daily income to meet household needs and other basic needs of the family.